Reviving the Childlike Mindset as an Adult Through Practical Philosophy
Written by Anthony Rummery, Instructor
Anthony Rummery is an instructor at New England Martial Arts Academy, a satellite dojo of Midcoast Martial Arts Academy in Port Macquarie, NSW. While a smaller dojo, Anthony's focus is on excellence in physical performance and mental well-being through Philosophy.
You see them in offices around the world. You see them in your social media posts. On websites. On merchandise. They are everywhere. They became such a part of the professional culture that memes were created to bring back levity where workplace expectations and stress are high.
If you look for quotes to motivate and inspire, you can find these in abundance. At the touch of your fingertips, your search engine will bring pages upon pages of philosophical quotes on a variety of topics to keep you going.
Philosophical quotes can come from many philosophers or public figures of the past, or from anonymous sources. These messages can be from the East or from the West.
The question is: Did you get the message?
Philosophy and psychology both have strong influences on our values, behaviours and actions. While psychology primarily focuses on individual behaviours and actions and can be measured, philosophy requires more abstract thinking to assist in defining one’s Self and how the Self interacts with the outside world.
It appears that the role of philosophy has been lost in the modern world. In the current age, news reports around the world talk about killings, thefts, economic collapse, and political excess as the norm. Unfortunately, these are only the reports that don’t make the headlines. Many of us in our own lives (myself included) risk, or have risked, discounting philosophy from our sense of Self. It paralyses and entraps us, giving rise to negative ways of thinking.
Some common examples of these ways of thinking may include:
Depression
Impulsiveness
Anxiety
It is this last point which brings me to the crux of this article. I don’t pretend to know what is going on in your life. Biologically, anxiety through fear is helpful in responding to the risk of life-threatening circumstances. Outside of this, this fear can impact every facet of our lives, not attempting that project or job promotion, not talking to that person you haven’t met, not trying that new activity. If we try and don’t succeed on the first try, sometimes we don’t try again out of fear of the same outcome. If you have children, could you imagine buying your child a wheelchair because you don’t want them to fail learning to walk, because it didn’t work the first time?
Seems silly, doesn’t it?
Anxiety through fear prevents us from growing as individuals and as a community in which we all play a part. While we can use biology as an excuse, the rest is learned, whether it be through pattern experience, or through conditioning via our parents and our peers from their own experiences, and so on. We become victims of pre-established thinking that can shape the course of or lives, if you allow it.
Here’s the thing: if we don’t challenge ourselves, nothing changes. We stay stuck in patterns of being which we feel powerless to change. Change itself can be scary, but it doesn’t have to be! Here are some ways that you can revive that child-like mindset of exploration, curiosity and growth that we seem to forget in the hustle and bustle of adult life:
Critically think about your beliefs: are they yours, or did they belong to another? Do these beliefs add up in the broad scheme of things?
Challenge and redefine your beliefs as you evolve
Forgive yourself for mistakes. Mistakes are necessary for growth when you learn from them
Respectfully practice and reinforce your beliefs and boundaries. It’s hard at first, but it gets easier over time
Celebrate the small wins, even if it’s asserting your boundaries
Get comfortable with being uncomfortable: learn a different dish, try something you found interesting, and meet different people
Have fun with it!
“All knowledge leads to self-knowledge”, as Bruce Lee said. “We have two lives, and the second begins when we realise we only have one”, as said Confucius. If we busy ourselves with how the world sees us, we are never truly in control of ourselves. Life is too short to worry about how we think others see us. What is important is how we see and value ourselves. As we build value around ourselves, we build strength within ourselves. We become the calm around the storm. We can weather the challenges of life and remain resolute.
In order to do that, and in closing, I refer to one of the oldest pieces of philosophical wisdom, inscribed on the Temple of Apollo at Delphi:
Know Thyself.
Read more from Anthony Rummery
Anthony Rummery, Instructor
Anthony Rummery is fast becoming a leader in the field of martial arts, stemming from over 30 years of training across various systems. Bullied and ostracised in his developmental years, Anthony found solace in martial arts and weight training to build his body. However, it took until his adult years to study and strengthen his mind.
He is the instructor of New England Martial Arts Academy and, as an Aboriginal man, is dedicated to sharing his knowledge with disadvantaged youth.
